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Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Red Double-decker Buses in London

A double-decker bus is a bus that has two storeys or decks. Red double-decker buses are used for mass transit in London and it has become a national symbol of England and British Isles. The majority of buses in London are double-deckers.

According to doubledecker-bus.com, the first motorised double decker was the NS Type which was introduced in 1923 and was the first to feature a full covered top deck. It built by the A.E.C. (Associated Equipment Company) and stayed in production until it was withdrawn in 1937.

The next major development was the introduction of the Routemaster London Bus, first built in 1954, and put into commercial service two years later. The design of the routemaster made it lighter and more efficient than its rivals. The Routemaster, in bright red became one of the iconic sights to see in London and is well known worldwide.

The popularity of the Routemaster saw it survive many improvements and redesigns, but it survived the privatisation of the London Bus Service, and stayed in continuous service in London from 1956 until December 8th 2005, when the last service came to an end.